


Looking Towards the Future

by Sumi



Series: going through the motions [5]
Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27069298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: Ellie, Jesse, and Dina struggle to heal after the events in Seattle.
Relationships: Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina & Jesse (The Last Of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Jesse (The Last of Us)
Series: going through the motions [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1975618
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24
Collections: Fic In A Box





	Looking Towards the Future

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheseusInTheMaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheseusInTheMaze/gifts).



> This is sort of a prequel to Alone at Last but that doesn't have to be read first.

Ellie always took Jesse for a person who knew how to read the room. They had only just gotten back to Jackson a day ago when Jesse thought of the bright idea to question Dina.

It was a stupid decision from someone who was usually a very smart dude.

“So were you ever going to tell me you were pregnant?”

Dina looked over at him from her hospital bed and scowled. “Fuck Jesse, you want to talk about this now?”

“Yeah, Dina, I do. I survived nearly getting shot in the head. What better time to talk about it?” he asked.

She winced, wishing she was anywhere else. Sure, Dina and she had gotten together and Jesse was one of her best friends, but Ellie couldn’t help but feel like the odd person out here.

“If you two are going to discuss heavy shit, I’ll just go… somewhere that isn’t here.”

Immediately Dina spoke up, a panicked look in her eyes. “El, you don’t have to go! This involves you just as much as it does us.”

“I’m with Dina on this, Ellie. With you two together, your involvement is not up for discussion.” Jesse added firm in his decision. “Besides, I’d want you around, regardless. You’re one of my best friends.”

Ellie sunk back onto the mattress, feeling her resolve weaken. On the one hand, she was happy that Jesse and Dina reconciled — even if it had been at her expense. However, on another hand Ellie still felt like that angry fourteen-year-old that kept losing everyone she cared about.

Keeping everyone at arm’s length had been an excellent strategy until Joel wormed his way in there. Then Jesse and Dina once she settled in at Jackson. It was difficult to not revert to that mindset — especially after everything that happened in the past few weeks.

The argument between Jesse and Dina continued with Ellie, unsure of where she stood. She understood Jesse’s anger, but Dina had her reasons for not wanting to say anything. Given the state of Seattle, the last thing she wanted to do was cause any more conflict.

Ellie eventually interrupted with her own opinion because she just wanted the two of them to quit it. “Guys just shut the fuck up, okay?! Everything is a shitshow and I need you guys to be cool. I can’t lose either of you fucking dorks.”

She forced back the hysterics, not wanting to break down. It seemed all Ellie had done since that bitch murdered Joel was cry. It was a struggle to not repeat that past behavior here and now.

The two surrounded her immediately. Ellie’s first reaction was to joking tell them to ‘fuck off’, but she held it back and just let them comfort her. If they wanted to, then so be it. Ellie would not deny them that. Besides, Ellie was lying to herself if she didn’t admit she wanted it.

After a few days of healing (physically) from the crapfest that was Seattle, Ellie took Dina up on her offer to stay with her. Then the next day Jesse asked if the two of them wanted to stay with him and his parents.

It only took about fifteen minutes of discussion for Ellie and Dina to figure out they both wanted to stay with Jesse. Staying there was bizarre for Ellie at first because Jesse’s parents treated her pretty decently. The two of them treated her the same way they did Dina; like family.

Even after all this time, it was still a foreign concept to Ellie, but she tried her best to accept that they cared about her. The same went for Jesse and Dina. Ellie was just afraid of losing yet another person.

Joel’s death still hung over her like a dark cloud. It refused to leave Ellie’s mind no matter how hard she tried. The image of him lying there was the first thing she thought about when waking up and the last thing on her mind before falling asleep.

She didn’t know how Dina could focus on the future and try to put that behind her. Fuck knows Ellie tried to do it. It would make her life a lot easier if the dumb saying ‘time heals all wounds’ applied to Ellie’s situation. The problem was that she often found herself stuck and unable to push past it.

There were at least one — well, two constants in Ellie’s life. Dina was there by her side along with Jesse, which was no surprise to Ellie. He survived a shot to the head, so this alone proved the guy was stubborn.

The problem was that no matter how much her friends tried to be there for her, Ellie felt like Jackson was stifling her. Being around all these people sometimes just too much. It got to where she’d have to run back inside to the room she and Dina were currently sharing.

Dina was comforting her during one of these times and suddenly brought up something Ellie had honestly forgotten about until now.

“Hey El, remember that farmhouse we talked about?” Dina asked, cupping Ellie’s face in her hands.

Ellie managed a smile. “Yeah, of course, I do. I had a pretty badass plan.”

Dina laughed. “Well, I think we should make that fucking awesome plan a reality. What do you say, babe?”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious, El.”

At first, Ellie didn’t know what to say. After letting it sink in, she wrapped her arms around Dina and hugged her tightly. Then Ellie’s mind drifted to Jesse. She couldn’t help but frown.

“What about Jesse?”

Dina lifted a brow. “What about him? He’ll have a place with us, but if he pisses us off, then it’s the barn for him.”

“So we have a barn?” Ellie questioned, chuckling at the mention of Jesse having to sleep in the barn.

“An outstanding barn that will withstand anything,” Dina confirmed.

Ellie wasn’t sure how they were going to do it, but damn was she excited for the first time in a long time.


End file.
